- What are CTAs?<\/a><\/li>
- The Difference Between B2B and B2C Call-to-Actions<\/a><\/li>
- Designing B2B CTAs That Convert<\/a>
- Step 1. The Color Has to Standout<\/a><\/li>
- Step 2. Consider The Size<\/a><\/li>
- Step 3. Free Space<\/a><\/li>
- Step 4. The Placement Matters<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Writing B2B CTAs That Convert<\/a>
- Step 1. Make the B2B CTA Meaningful<\/a><\/li>
- Step 2. Keep It Short, Keep It Sweet<\/a><\/li>
- Step 3. Don’t Force Your Readers<\/a><\/li>
- Step 4. FOMO Works<\/a><\/li>
- Step 5. Consider the First Person Approach<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- B2B CTA Rules You Might Not Following<\/a>
- Rule 1. Ask Them to Do Only One Thing<\/a><\/li>
- Rule 2. You Should Be Testing and Tracking<\/a><\/li>
- Rule 3. Be Subtle<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Examples of Good B2B Marketing CTAs<\/a>
- Crazyegg<\/a><\/li>
- Ahrefs<\/a><\/li>
- Full Bundle<\/a><\/li>
- Zopto<\/a><\/li>
- Miro<\/a><\/li>
- Xerox<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
What are CTAs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
CTAs or call-to-actions are literally a call<\/span><\/strong> for your prospect to take action<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They come in different shapes or forms, they can be in plain text, an image, but they’re more commonly used as buttons on most pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now a lot of people might think that all CTAs have to have links embedded in them, but that’s not always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take for example the work we do with the LinkedIn posts that we put out. As you’ll notice, the CTAs we use on a post doesn’t have any links embedded into them, but rather they invite the user to take a specific action such as leave a comment or engage with the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason that they have become so critical to any marketing campaign online is their power to get prospects to do something with the information that is presented to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are responsible for a prospect’s first move into your funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At BAMF, we study our CTAs closely, and we test them extensively. A little optimization here and there can result in more efficient campaigns, and that equals more growth for our clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s dive in for a closer look at marketing CTAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Difference Between B2B and B2C Call-to-Actions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Although a lot of people will argue that the process of creating a B2B and B2C CTA is almost the same, they’re entirely on different categories of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is largely due to the fact that their audiences are different from each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B2C prospects are more emotion-driven with the emphasis on converting them as fast as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, B2B prospects have longer buying cycles<\/em><\/strong>, this means that they need time to not only familiarize themselves with your brand but also to get a feel about how it will them in their organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take, for example, an e-commerce store online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’ll find that most of their CTAs involve a lot of FOMO and wording such as “Buy Now” or “Get My Discount Today”. This is because people who land on their pages have to be converted be quickly before they go somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the case of B2B, DMUs \u2013 decision-making units \u2013 need a lot of time to evaluate what they’re buying into because it involves both a massive commitment in adoption and, of course, financially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CTAs that you throw over your B2B prospects have to be designed in a way to guide prospects from the top of the funnel to the bottom, one step at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means that there is a focus on getting them to read your white papers, check out case studies, or read about how other customers have benefitted from the products or services that you offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If ever they do have a “Buy Now”-looking CTA, it will usually be in the form of a CTA that says, for example, “Let Me Test It Out For Free”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More often than not, all marketing CTAs are confused as elements that have to convert a prospect immediately<\/em><\/strong>, but B2B CTAs are different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, the word “convert” still holds true, but you don’t have to do it “immediately”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes you just want to convert them to click on a particular testimonial so that they can go down a level in the funnel that you’ve set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Designing B2B CTAs That Convert<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 1. The Color Has to Standout<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Have you ever thought about the colors that go into a simple CTA button?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notice that some people use red, orange, and colors that are not even aligned with the branding of the organization?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/BAMF-Website-Section-1024x405.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGrowth hackers spend hours tweaking and testing the and color of B2B CTAs because they have to stand out and capture a prospect’s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What usually works are colors that are different from the main color scheme of a landing page. For example, over at BAMF, we use red because it’s almost the opposite of blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think of it as color blocking. These rules apply to both B2C and B2B CTAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 2. Consider The Size<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Of course, it has to be big, but you don’t want it to be “in your face” big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go for a size that stands out when you quickly look at the screen, but not so much that distracts you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A CTA has to attract, not distract!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it’s in the middle of the page, it doesn’t have to be enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 3. Free Space<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make sure that you also have a lot of free space around the CTA button, this is especially important if you have a lot of colors on the landing page itself. It will help highlight the presence of your CTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 4. The Placement Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The location of your CTA is critical to its success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we mentioned earlier, the worst thing that could happen is for a prospect who’s already convinced to spend time looking for a button to be onboarded in your funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Great locations include above the fold, nested in your navigation bar, or you can even use a floating B2B CTA that will stay on the screen no matter how much your user scrolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some UX designers even add a different variation of their CTA at the website footer to make sure that no potential lead is ever lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t be scared to put it in the middle of your page, a lot of B2B companies do it as a way to highlight what a prospect should do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Writing B2B CTAs That Convert<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 1. Make the B2B CTA Meaningful<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Due to the buying cycle, what you say in your CTA has to be meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As much as possible you want to avoid generic wording because it will get you nowhere in your quest for people to convert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it’s to guide a prospect to your case studies, don’t just say “click here” consider something such as “I want to see how it’s done”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By adjusting your messaging, you get to connect with your prospects on a more personal level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 2. Keep It Short, Keep It Sweet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Grabbing someone’s attention is already hard enough, but maintaining that attention is even more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CTAs have to be short and sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don’t want to grab someone’s attention and then put them off by using a 15-word CTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suggest that they do something using about 5 words or less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes it easier to read and even saves up on valuable screen real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the problem with B2B CTAs, sometimes we have this urge to stick extra facts into our CTAs to make them even more convincing, e.g. “Find Out How We 200% More Subscribers Last Year!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember, if they’re already reading your CTA, they’re interested in what you have to offer, they just want to know what’s the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have to put in extra facts in your CTA, then your primary body of content isn’t working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 3. Don’t Force Your Readers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do you like people forcing you to do something?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither do your prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing puts people off than telling them what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of telling them to “click” on something, suggest that they “start” their journey with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simple tweaks like this can make even the most intimidating landing pages look tame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 4. FOMO Works<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Want to make them move faster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put in a limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The “fear of missing out” approach is very effective because that’s how most of our brains have been hardwired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, you don’t want to use this too often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People can smell fake FOMO from a mile away. You don’t want to be one of those organizations that’s perpetually on sale. It removes the intrinsic value of the services that you offer and cheapens your value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t be that organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 5. Consider the First Person Approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This usually works well with B2C customers, but sometimes it’s nice for B2B organizations to go along this route. It gives them a breath of fresh air and allows you to be more human with your approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Ahrefs<\/a><\/li>
- Rule 2. You Should Be Testing and Tracking<\/a><\/li>
- Step 2. Keep It Short, Keep It Sweet<\/a><\/li>
- Step 2. Consider The Size<\/a><\/li>
- The Difference Between B2B and B2C Call-to-Actions<\/a><\/li>
![\"b2b](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/b2b-cta-1.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/b2b-cta-crazyegg-1024x458.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/b2b-cta-ahrefs.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/b2b-cta-Full-Bundle-1024x442.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/b2b-cta-zopto-1024x440.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bamf.lovelacecreative.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/b2b-cta-miro-1024x432.png\")
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